Border Control

[bertieboy1]

Just back from a short trip to Belgium - didn't take the van we roughed it in a hotel !
On the way out of the country the car was searched,boot,engine compartment and mirror search below car.
Coming back into the country the boot only got a cursory glance.
When we take the van, it and the car gets searched going out of the country.
Coming back into the country the van and car never gets searched and the only question we have ever been asked is - is the gas switched off.
I suppose that border control are checking we are not exporting illegal immigrants and are not checking if we are importing illegal immigrants.
So much for security.

 

[RayS]

In about 15 years of two trips into Europe a year with the caravan, the only place they have ever looked under the fixed bed is in France on the way back to UK. Checks on Euro tunnel have been restricted to the gas bottles.

Now whether there is some hidden coding in the passport indicating security (if so mine might have it) or whether it's down to someone's view of the shiftiness or otherwise of the traveler, or whether its a code of the day (i.e stop every 17th car or a random number generator) who knows ??

A few years ago, fellow residents of our favorite site in Spain were full of tales of kitchen knives, meat, powdered milk products etc. being confiscated when leaving UK particularly around Christmas time. There were also tales of travelers being asked if they would allow sniffer dogs to be tested by the operator planting something suitably smelly in the caravan and then having the dog try to find it. Not surprisingly very few volunteered.
I suppose that illogicality is a good basis for security checks - never establish a pattern.

For some reason the French seem keen to know whether you are taking out much wine or many cigarettes - out, that is, not in. I have made a habit of keeping all the supermarket checkout slips in a plastic bag and offering them to the gendarmes with the comment that all I have has been bought tax paid and here are the recepits to prove it. This has always resulted in a 'merci - c'est tout' and 'bon voyage'.

 

[RogerL]

Like all security checks, it's a combination of random checks and profiling likely offenders - it doesn't catch every offender and it does involve many checks on non-offenders.

If, as we all expect, you've done nothing wrong just accept it as the minor price of a civilised imperfect democracy.

 

[chrisbee1]

Not long after the tunnel opened I took my elderly in-laws on a car only day trip to visit some war cemeteries. I was stopped at Folkestone on the way out and the car was searched. They even went so far as to remove the door panels, air filter and spare wheel. Looking at the make up of the occupants, I can't imagine it was done on a profiling basis but it seemed a bit extreme for a random stop. Coming back we didn't even have our passports checked. :dry:

 

[carper2]

The only times we have been checked was coming back at Dunkerque. We weren't bothered as they checked everyone. They wanted to look in the boot it had 2 bikes, the awning and a tool bag. In the Caravan they looked under the beds, in the wardrobe, under the front seats and the bathroom.

Les

 

[RogerL]

Not long after the tunnel opened I took my elderly in-laws on a car only day trip to visit some war cemeteries. I was stopped at Folkestone on the way out and the car was searched. They even went so far as to remove the door panels, air filter and spare wheel. Looking at the make up of the occupants, I can't imagine it was done on a profiling basis but it seemed a bit extreme for a random stop. Coming back we didn't even have our passports checked. :dry:

A random check is exactly that, random..

 

[Raywood]

The only check we have had was just before boarding the Santander ferry at Plymouth they checked under us and several others with a mirror presumably for bombs.
The only check I have seen was after leaving one ferry. The lane next to us was empty and some clever individual thought he could get out quicker by racing up that line to get off first. I assume the crew signaled to the customs as when we got out they were taking his outfit apart. Remembered something about the first being last although as usual we were in the middle and remained there.